Textile spool driving connection



Jan. 13, 1953 R. ATwooD 2,625,335

TEXTILE SPOOL DRIVING CONNECTION Filed May 29, 1948 l I n ,/2

} ',2/ L ,L l 251 4 im 4 22 I p24 23;/ 26' Patented Jan. 13, 1953 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 2,625,335 y TEXTILE sPooI. DRIVING CONNECTIONRawson Atwood, Garden City, N. Y., assignor to Decorated MetalManufacturing Company, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication May 29, 1948, Serial No. 30,049

6 Claims. (Cl. 242-462) This invention relates to improvements intextile spools.

More particularly, the invention is concerned with textile spools whichare adapted to sit in vertical position on a spindle and be driventhereby for winding textile and other fibers. Such a spool ishereinafter referred to for brevity as a pirn, meaning thereby any spooldesigned and adapted for fitting vertically on a spindle and beingdriven by a whorl at its lower end.

It is an object of the invention to provide a pirn which may be removedfrom a spindle in locations where the vertical space or clearance islimited, by permitting a tilting of the pirn with reference to thespindle axis, after only a small lifting thereof and through arelatively large angle, so that the pirn may be raised up and tiltedforwardly to clear any obstruction which may be located above thespindle.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved pirn havingnovel arrangements for seating, centering and driving the same.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improvedcombination of a pirn and spindle, adapted to work together during thewinding operation, and so formed as to facilitate removal andreplacement of the pirn from and onto the spindle, resulting fromthefact that the pirn is released from close engagement -to the spindlewhen it has been raised sulciently to disengage the top and bottombearings from the spindle and the whorl respectively.

For a full understanding of the inventiona detailed description of apirn and spindle embodying the invention in a preferred form will now begiven in connection with the accompanying drawing and the featuresforming the invention will be specifically pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in central vertical section, on line I-I of Fig. 2,of a pirn, embodying the invention in one form of embodiment, andshowing the same in position upon a spindle (not sectioned);

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, but showinganother form of pirn and spindle; and

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, the pirn selected for purposes ofillustration is of generally familiar construction, comprising an outertubular barrel I, of pasteboard or similar material, an inner tubularbarrel member 2 of steel or other material and an upper end cap 3 whichis fitted within the upper end of the barrel. A generally cup-shapedmember 4 is placed Within the barrel and includes a cylindrical portion5 tting into the tubular member 2 and a cylindrical portion of reduceddiameter 6 which serves as a spindle bearing, together with thegenerally conical intermediate portion 1 which serves to support thespindle bearing 6 and also to guide the tip of the spindle S into thesame when the pirn is placed upon the spindle. The lower end of the pirnis provided with a drive end member in the form of a ierrule 8 having acylindrical outer ilange 9 and a polygonal inner ange I. The innerflange I0 preferably forms a polygon with an even number of sides and ispreferably octagonal, as shown. Ferrule 8, intermediate the flanges I0and 9, also forms an annular end surface I I for supporting the pirn.

The whorl I2 of the pirn is formed with an upper portion I3, preferablyin the form of a square inscribed within a circle of less diameter thanthe whorl generally, providing a shoulder I4 for seating the pirn. Whenthe inner part of the pirn drive end member is not octagonal, the partI3 of the whorl is preferably formed as a polygo having half the numberof sides.

The pirn sits upon the spindle with the bearing 6 engaging the tipthereof, With the annular surface II seated on the shoulder I4 of thewhorl and with thecorners of the square portion I3 of the whorl fittinginto vertices I5 of the inner octagonal iiange I0 of the drive endmember 8. The bearing member 6 may be fastened immovably within thetubular member 2 but is preferably placed therein with a driving t whichpermits sliding of the same along the pirn where desired but preventsaccidental dislodgment thereof. In this way the pirn may be adjusted tospindles whose tips are located at different heights from the whorl. Thespindle height in a typical case may be eight or nine inches, while thepirn may be a foot long or thereabouts.

In removing the pirn from the spindle, the pirn is first raised untilthe bearing 6 is lifted above the tip of the spindle or the drive endmember is lifted above the square portion I4 of the whorl and, as soonas either condition has occurred, the pirn may be tilted somewhat withrelation to the spindle. The pirn may now be further lifted and tilted,the tip of the spindle being in contact, or substantially so, with theinner wall of the tubular barrel, and the opposite side of the drive endof the barrel being also in contact with the spindie. Since thepolygonal configuration of the inside of the drive end of the barreldeparts only slightly from the circular, the extent of tilting permittedis substantially equal to that obtainable with a plain cylindrical tubeof equal inside diameter.

In Figures 3 and 4, the invention is shown in another form as to thelower end of the pirn and cooperating parts of the whorl. In this formof the invention, a whorl 20, having the usual drive lugs 2l, isprovided. The upper part of the whorl, as at 22, is of reduced diameter,thus forrning a shoulder 23 for seating theV pirn.V The pirn is providedwith a drive end member 24 having an outer ilange 25, an annular lowersupporting surface 26 and an inner cup-shaped portion, in which there isformed a key-hole shaped central aperture comprising a generallycircular central aperture 28 of substantially greater diameter than thespindle S, and having lateral enlargements 29 which lit around the lugs2l in driving engagement therewith. The aperture 28-29 may t the lugs 2lwith any desired closeness but is spaced from the spincue S so as topermit tilting of the pirn with relation to the spindle as soon as ithas been lifted off the whorl and the spindle bearing has been lifted oithe spindle. The lateral enlargements 29 of the central aperture need beonly marginal to insure proper driving engagement with the lugs of thewhorl. It will thus be apparent that the inside diameter of the lowerend of the pirn may be almost as great as that of the pirn barrelgenerally, providing substantially the same possibility of tilting as inthe embodiment of Figures l and 2.

While the invention has been shown as applied to a spool of pasteboardor other outer construction, and steel or other inner construction, itwill be apparent it is applicable to pirns having tubular barrels ingeneral and regardless of their specie construction.

What is claimed is:

1. A pirn comprising a tubular barrel, a spindle bearing within thebarrel and spaced from the bottom end thereof for engaging the top of aspindle of small diameter by comparison with the inner diameter of thebarrel, and a drive end of polygonal inner coniiguration having aninside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of thebarrel.

2. A pirn according to claim l, in which the drive end comprises a sheetmetal member fitted over the lower end of the barrel, having an outerflange tting the outer surface of the barrel, an inner iiange ofpolygonal configuration fitting inside the barrel and a connectingportion between the ilanges forming an anular surface for receiving andsupporting the pirn upon the Whorl oi the spindle.

3. A pirn according to claim l, in which the drive end ofthe barrel isof octagonal inner conguration.

4. The combination with a pirn according to claim 1, of a spindlesupporting the pirn with itsl tip engaging in the bearing and having awhorl comprising a shoulder for seating and supporting the lower end ofthe pirn and means above the shoulder for engaging in the vertices ofthe polygonal inside of the drive end for forming a driving connectionto the pirn.

5. The combination with a pirn comprising a tubular barrel, a spindlebearing within the barrel and spaced from the bottom end thereof forengaging the vtop of a spindle of small diameter by comparison with theinner diameter of the barrel, and a drive end of inner diametersubstantially equal to the inner diameter of the barrel'and formed withmea-ns for engaging the whorl of a spindle in driving relationtherewith, of a spindle with its tip engaging within the bearing andhaving a whorl comprising a shoulder for receiving and supporting thelower end of the pirn and means above the whorl for engaging the meansformed within the drive end of the pirn for forming a driving connectionwith the whorl.

6. The combination with a pirn comprising a tubular barrel, a spindlebearing within the barrel and spaced from the bottom end thereof forengaging a spindle of small diameter by comparison with the innerdiameter of the barrel, and a drive end formed with means for forming adriving connection with the whorl of the spindle and having anunobstructed central aperture of greater diameter in all directions thanthe spindle for permitting tilting of the spindle in any direction aboutthe center of the aperture to bring the tip of the spindle against theinner wall of the pirn barrel, when the pirn is lifted so that thespindle bearing is above the tip of the spindle; of a spindle supportingthe pirn with its tip engaging in the bearing and having a whorlcomprising a shoulder for supporting the lower end of the barrel andmeans above the shoulder forming a driving connection to the pirn.

RAWSON ATWOOD.

REFERENCES CITED Y The following references are of record in the file ofthisv patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 134,067 Jenks Dec. 17, 18721,775,610 Weiss Sept. 9, 1930 2,028,875 Kuwada Jan. 28, 1936 2,359,604Atwood Oct. 3, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,190 GreatBritain Dec. 3, 1875 419,974 Great Britain Nov. 22, 1934 549,392 GermanyApr, 27, 1932

